Our Curriculum

What? Why? How?

• WHAT? Our curriculum is designed to fulfill the mission of CitySprouts, to cultivate curiosity and wonder in students through hands-on science learning in their own schoolyard gardens.

  To this end, our garden science lessons:

1. start with children exploring natural phenomena hands-on 

2. pose questions that prompt children’s deeper thinking about core ideas in science

3. encourage children to talk about their thinking

4. allow children to explore at their own pace, and

5. provide a context to practice social emotional competencies such as self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and responsible decision making

• WHY? Hands-on, inquiry-based learning in the garden makes science exciting! The young scientists we teach thrive in our outdoor garden classroom because of all the different ways we lead them to observe, explore, and discover the workings of the natural world right in their own schoolyard.

• HOW? Our lessons are designed to be co-led by a garden educator and a classroom teacher. Teaching outdoors presents special challenges, and it is always best to have one or more educators present who knows the students and their needs. 

  Our curriculum is designed to make the most of places where the garden and growing connect with the concepts, standards, and practices detailed in the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework.

  Download Our Curriculum